Avalanche select Mikhail Gulyayev with No. 31 overall pick in 2023 NHL Draft

The Colorado Avalanche have selected defenseman Mikhail Gulyayev with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

The Russian spent the most time this season with Omskie Yastreby in the Junior Hockey League, where he had two goals, 23 assists and 25 points in 22 regular-season games, along with two goals, eight assists and 10 points in 17 playoff games en route to their 4-2 series loss in the Kharlamov Cup Final to Nizhny Novgorod. He also spent 13 games with Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League where he had an assist, and 12 games with Omskie Krylia of the Supreme Hockey League where he had four assists.

Daily Faceoff’s own prospect expert Steven Ellis projected Gulyayev to go 25th overall in his mock draft of the 2023 NHL Draft. Ellis had this to say about him in his prospect rankings:

“Gulyayev had confidence to burn in the MHL this year, looking like a man among kids. He uses the open space to his advantage and is fairly quick in bursts. He’ll bring value as a puck-moving transitional defender.”

Gulyayev is the second selection by the Avs in the first round of the 2023 draft; they also grabbed Calum Ritchie with the No. 27 pick earlier in the round. Barring any trades, the Avalanche will make their next pick in the fifth round with the No. 155 overall selection.

Gulyayev joins a prospect pool on the Avs consisting of Ritchie and Oskar Olausson. They did not have a first-round pick in the 2022 draft.

The Avalanche finished with a 51-24-7 record in the 2022-23 season, giving them 109 points, which was good enough for first in the Central Division and seventh in the league. They were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, losing to the Seattle Kraken.